Semi-final hero McHugh ready to live the dream at Wembley... and he's taking half of Ireland with him!

Wembley will have the look of the Irish about it on Sunday when Bradford defender Carl McHugh’s tiny home village in County Donegal decamps to North London to cheer him on in the Capital One Cup final.

The 20-year old centre-back hails from the remote hamlet of Lettermacaward, which boasts two shops and three pubs and has a population of less than 1,000.

It will be significantly less, come Sunday, with 111 friends and relatives, at the last count, having bought tickets and booked flights in the hope of seeing their local hero pull off one more giantkilling act.

Cup of joy: McHugh (centre) is mobbed after scoring against Aston Villa in the semi-final

McHugh has been a key figure in Bradford’s fairytale ride to the final, helping contain Arsenal’s attacking threat and then scoring in the last-four win against Aston Villa.

Should Swansea be added to their list of Barclays Premier League scalps, they will be celebrating in the west of Ireland as well as West Yorkshire.

‘It’s a big number, is 111, but it’s not just family, there are some friends too,’ said the Republic of Ireland under-21 defender. ‘They have all paid for their own tickets. I couldn’t be doing that, much as I would like to. That would be about a year’s wages for me!

‘My mum and dad have sorted it all out, and people have just given them the money. The majority are from Donegal, but there are a few others from around the country, who I’ve played football with down the years.

Up for the Cup: McHugh and his team-mates pose with the trophy at Valley Parade

‘It’s great for everyone to come over. I tried my best to make sure that anyone who wants to go could buy a ticket. Most are flying over and they’ve sorted the travel arrangements themselves.

‘I’ve had some family and friends over for the other Cup games, but I’ve always stuck to my normal routine. I’ll have to do that again, but I’ll meet up with my family after the game.

‘I don’t know whether Donegal will be closing down for the day, but I do know all the people there are really looking forward to it. From what my family are saying about it, there’s been a lot of hype about the final.’

McHugh doesn’t have to look far for inspiration after his Gaelic football-playing friend Paddy McBrearty contributed to a sporting upset of his own last year by helping County Donegal win the All-Ireland Championships for only the second time in their history.

High hopes: McHugh has 111 friends and family coming over from Ireland

It was likened to a League Two club reaching a major Cup final in England, and McHugh admitted he owed Gaelic football a debt of gratitude for toughening him up.

‘Yeah, it did help me a lot in that respect,’ he said. ‘It was my main sport until I was about 11 or 12. Gaelic is my first love really, and I went back for the All-Ireland semi-final and final last year to see Donegal.

‘I used to dream of playing in the All-Ireland final at Croke Park, but if I had to choose, I think I would go for a Cup final at Wembley. That would just have the edge.’

Flying the flag: McHugh is draped in the Donegal colours with Bradford boss Phil Parkinson

There was a sizeable contingent from Lettermacaward for the semi-final, so much so that McHugh was pictured waving Donegal’s colours, after his mother Mary handed him a regional flag at the end of Bradford’s aggregate win at Villa Park.

‘I saw the flag in the crowd and asked for it to be passed down to me,’ he said. ‘Back in Bradford, they might have thought it was the Irish flag, but they know now that it was the Donegal flag. That was the highlight of the night for me.’